Chapter 117 - Gods That Followed Into The Grave (2/2)

Thankfully, Xin Huo is always unreliable, so his hypotheses should likewise be equally unreliable or otherwise… Just thinking of it sent a chill down his spine.

"Brat Yue, let's go into the forbidden land underneath the dark mountain, how's that?"

Xin Huo was filled with excitement, "We might be able to discover more ancient secrets!"

Unfortunately, Zhong Yue threw cold water on this idea, "The seal here is not loosened like it is in the Swords Gate, how are you planning to get us out? Xin Huo, don't you ever think about it again!"

Xin Huo turned despondent, curiosity engulfed him as if there were hundreds of cats scratching the inside of his heart, as his burning desire to immediately explore the forbidden land was doused the cold water of denial.

Xian Kong Saint City.

Zhong Yue walked on the street, he glanced around and his eyes were met with monster carvings that spread all over the place. Whether it was the totem pillars of the monsters or the statues, they all differed greatly from those of the humans.

Not only that, their abodes were also vastly different to those of humanity. The bird species monsters took the nest as their own abode; the beast species monsters were predisposed to cavernous structures; the aquatic monsters stayed in the water chambers; and there were more that lived underground, with others living on webs. It was all strangely odd – a situation of multitudinous and uncanny variations.

Other than that, Zhong Yue's heart stiffened up as he also saw armies formed by monster Qi Practitioners, patrolling critical areas, and his heart stiffened up.

The monster race is indeed strong, they even have sufficient Qi Practitioners to form armies. It doesn't need much, array formations formed by a few dozen Rebirth Qi Practitioners is enough to contend with Awakening experts. While at the Swords Gate inner hall, including the old and the frail, there is only a little over one thousand eight hundred people. In addition to the disciples of the hall masters and elders, there would only be at most three thousand Qi Practitioners fit for combat, a figure barely comparable to even three or four cities of the monster race.

He could not help but feel a burgeoning sense of crisis that threatened to gradually asphyxiate him. The monster race was still yet to combine in a united front, and although the City Lord of Xian Kong City was the crowned ruler of East Barren, the other three islands, four keeps and six cities all had their own respective powers and forces.

When the current headmaster dies; when the Xian Kong City Lord finally succeeded in uniting the East Barren into a focused and cohesive force, and when the time comes where he decides to march upon the Swords Gate ... that would be the day of the Swords Gate's final reckoning in which the final bastion of humanity would face sure destruction..

This Xian Kong Saint City, really has a place where they trade human slaves….

Zhong Yue passed by a market in Xian Kong City and saw over hundreds of humans. The young and strong, and the ladies were all held captive in cages. Moreover, there were human Qi Practitioners that were manacled in chains that penetrated through their scapulas. His heart turned dejected and gloomy at the abject state of his brethren.

"Where do all these human Qi Practitioners come from?"

Zhong Yue asked Yu Xuanji, "By the look of it, they don't seem like Qi Practitioners from the Great Wilderness."

Yu Xuanji smiled, "Some were bought from the other barren lands, some were the slaves of the top monster clans, while the others were brought over from the far side of the ocean. It's really hard to capture the Swords Gate Qi Practitioners as they're usually sequestered in the Great Wilderness, refusing to come out at all. The only exceptions are the Shui Tu Clan messengers. But Shui Zian of the Shui Tu Clan enjoys a high status in our monster race, even the saint city lord treats him kindly. Hence, the Shui Tu Clan messengers are basically left untouched. Brother Long Yue, Qimei, let's head over to the lord's manor, I suppose most of the Rebirth Qi Practitioners from all over the places have arrived!"

Hu Qimei gazed at Zhong Yue, she suddenly voiced out a thought, "Brother Long Yue seems like you are very concerned about the humans."

Zhong Yue smiled gently and replied, "We the dragon race have our secret methods to ascend to the level of gods through worship. I've plans to buy a batch of humans, so I can be fit enough to have my eyes on the godly levels in the future."

Yu Xuanji and Hu Qimei were stunned by his words, they were left completely speechless.

In fact, none of the monsters were able to maintain their composure after hearing what Zhong Yue said. Ascending to the level of god ... how impressively high would that breadth of spirit and verve be? The monster race has an inveterate reverence and awe towards the gods. After all, they were once the lowest of races in the ancient times, their sense of inferiority was already ingrained into their bones and passed down through generation after generation.

Tens of millennium slipped past, and the monster race had skyrocketed to usurp the place of humanity and myriad other races. But even so, an primal instinct for reverence would rise from the bottom of their souls when they hear the word about 'gods'.

Saint city lord's manor— Zhong Yue, Yu Xuanji and Hu Qimei entered the manor, the seneschal received them, and after recording down their names, they were invited into the manor. He said, "There are already quite a lot of the young and formidable ones here, they are on the Ba Shui Bridge, studying the first obstacle set by the city lord."

"What's this first obstacle about?" Hu Qimei asked.

"You'll know as soon as you reach it."

The Ba Shui Bridge was constructed above the Ba Shui River, a river that was formed by a gushing spring that flowed out from inside of the mountain, running across the lord's manor and through the saint city. The fragrance of the river water filled the air and white lotuses bloomed all over the river surface.

The three of them eventually reached the bridge. Although it was referred to as a bridge, there were many pavilions and arbors lining its sides. There were already over hundreds of young monster experts gathering here, some were accompanied with their tribal experts, some brought their own entourage of followers. The Ba Shui Bridge had at least four or five hundred monsters crowding here.

"We've killed too little…." Yu Xuanji gritted his teeth and said.

Killing intents flashed in Hu Qimei's eyes, she softly plucked the lute strings, and immediately, the sights of countless experts from the different tribes, many of which were Awakening Qi Practitioners, converged towards her.. Hu Qimei received a great shock before she quickly retracted her killing intent.

Zhong Yue boarded the Ba Shui Bridge, he was met with the sight of all of the monster Qi Practitioners with their heads raised staring at a stone wall, it was engraved with esoteric totem carvings that intersect to form into marvelous patterns.

"Fragmentary god-level totem pattern!" In his psyche ocean, Xin Huo who was seeing through his eyes exclaimed in a low voice.

Meanwhile, Yu Xuanji found the experts of Jade Dragon Keep and was asking for information, he then told Zhong Yue and Hu Qimei and said, "This pattern was left behind by the saint city lord, it's the prologue of the [Monster God Ming King Art]. The first hurdle is to examine the disciples' talents and comprehensions, you'll be considered as having passed once you have comprehended the abstrusity hidden within it."

"And what exactly is counted as comprehending the abstrusity?" Hu Qimei asked curiously.